This invention relates to a terrestrial globe, and more particularly to a terrestrial globe with a world-wide watch function wherein current times in major cities are displayed depending on a rotation of the globe.
Nowadays, due to an increase in a trade amount between foreign countries and cities, a frequent business trip, a fast increase in overseas trip population and emigrants, there has been steadily increased a desire for easily knowing a time in foreign countries or other cities, hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cworld-wide timexe2x80x9d. Examples of the conventional method for knowing the world-wide time includes using an additional watch for indicating a current time in a desired time zone and using a computer or an electric watch capable of displaying the worldwide time. Another example is to calculate a current time in a desired territory of the earth with the aid of the world-wide time difference table.
A terrestrial globe has been utilized as the best convenient means for indicating each country or territory of the earth besides a world map. The terrestrial globe also is usually used for an education and a decoration. However, the existing terrestrial globe fails to meet the above-mentioned desire for the knowledge of the world-wide time for each territory of the earth because it has only a function of confirming a position of each country or territory by rotating the globe.
Accordingly, it, is an object of the present invention to provide a novel terrestrial globe with a world-wide watch function.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a terrestrial globe incorporating a world-wide watch that is capable of a current time in a country or territory pointed out by a time zone indicating bar of the globe.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a terrestrial globe incorporating a world-wide watch that is capable of a city (or country) name and a current time and date (i.e., year, month, day, day of the week, etc.) in the corresponding time zone indicated by a time zone indicating bar of the globe.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel terrestrial globe that is capable of easily and conveniently confirming a world-wide time by a simple method of rotating the globe.
In order to achieve these and other objects of the invention, a terrestrial globe with a world-wide watch function according to one aspect of the present invention includes a spherical body having a world map depicted on its surface; a rotation axis passing through the center of the spherical body; a supporting member for supporting the spherical body and the rotation axis; sensing means, installed at one end of the rotation axis, for detecting a rotation amount of the globe; and world-wide time displaying means for processing an input information from the sensing means using a processor included in itself to display a major city name and a current time in a time zone corresponding to the rotation amount of the globe.
A terrestrial globe with a world-wide watch function according to another aspect of the present invention includes a spherical body having a world map depicted on its surface; a rotation axis passing through the center of the spherical body; a supporting member for supporting the spherical body and the rotaition axis; sensing means, installed at one end of the rotation axis, for detecting a rotation amount of the globe and world-wide time displaying means for processing an input information from the sensing means using a processor included in itself to display a major city name and a current time and date (i.e., year, month, day, and day of the week) in a time zone corresponding to the rotation amount of the globe.